False Witness

by Melvin Miller Rader

Book Overview

In the summer of 1948, with Cold War tensions rising, a young state legislator from Spokane, Washington, named Albert Canwell set out to combat the "communist menace" through a state version of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. University of Washington professor Melvin Rader was a victim of the Canwell Committee's rush to judgment, but he fought back. False Witness tells of his struggle to clear his name. It is a testament of personal...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295977027
• ISBN13: 9780295977027
• Release Date: December 1997
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.6"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Chronicle of a "Communist" witch hunt in Washington State.

False Witness is the story of Prof. Melvin Rader¹s experiences as a target of the Washington State Legislature¹s Committee on Un-American Activities in 1948. In his own words, Rader vividly describes the tactics and procedures used by Albert Canwell and others in this ³investigation². Although eventually able to clear his name, Rader¹s chronicle reveals the civil rights violations which led to the dismissal of three University of Washington professors, punishments for three more, and the abandonment of ³due process² in the rush to find and punish ³Communists². A short, easy, informative read.